Sindh Govt To Seek Review Of Court's Decision In Arzoo Raja Forced Conversion Case

Sindh Govt To Seek Review Of Court's Decision In Arzoo Raja Forced Conversion Case
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto announced on Friday that the Sindh government would approach courts seeking review of the decision in the case of Arzoo Raja, a 13-year-old Christian girl who was forcibly converted to Islam and married to a 44 year old man.

"GOS (Government of Sindh) will approach the courts to review the #ArzooRaja underage marriage case, clear up any misunderstanding the honourable court may have, and do everything in their power to provide justice,” Bilawal Bhutto tweeted on Friday. He also said that it was the Sindh government that introduced Child Marriages Restraint Act 2013 and it will continue to fight for its implementation.

https://twitter.com/BBhuttoZardari/status/1322129967673679872?s=20

On Thursday, the session court accepted post arrest bail of three suspects including Syed Shariq Ali and Syed Mohsin Ali who are the brothers of the purported husband of Arzoo Raja while Danish was his friend. All three of them were police officials.

Their lawyer Hidayat Ali Leghari told judge Faiza Khalil that Arzoo Raja in her statement to Sindh High Court said that she converted to Islam out of her free will. Therefore, the court had restrained police from arresting her abductor. He asked the court to grant the post arrest bail to all three of them who also happen to be police officials. The judge granted them bail against a surety bond of Rs. 50,000.

Arzoo Raja was allegedly abducted from her house on October 13 when her parents had gone out for work. Her abduction sparked protests in different parts of the country.